So you want to send your kids to learn a foreign language at a primary school. Such a good idea, or maybe not! Some experts believe that having your children learn a foreign language during primary school years may be beneficial for them, but others think otherwise. Let us, therefore, explore the advantages and disadvantages of having your kids learn a foreign language at an early age.

[1]The most noticeable advantage of children learning a foreign language in their primary school years is the attainment of a native-like accent. Another argument by those in favor of having children learn a foreign language as early as primary school is their exposure to other cultures and people. [2]However, those skeptical of this approach say that children at this age may still find it hard to grasp the idea of language structures due to their still limited cognitive capacity. Additionally, the lack of qualified teachers can also be seen as a disadvantage because at this stage, children are not as competent as adults in managing their learning. Without qualified teachers, children will not be able to optimize their learning.

These advantages and disadvantages are not at all baseless. However, the disadvantages can be lessened by employing strategy changes in school policies, including having qualified teachers and following a well-structured curriculum that ensures children’s enthusiasm for learning another language is sustained.

Parents and the community also play a vital role in ensuring that children succeed in learning a foreign language at an early age – even as early as primary school.

Let us take a more in-depth look into these advantages and disadvantages and see what you can do as parents to help your children in their linguistic development experience.

Advantages of Learning a Foreign Language for Younger Children

Generally, experts do not agree on whether children are better at learning foreign languages than adults. But there are benefits to having children learn a foreign language early in their childhood that everyone can almost certainly agree on.

Let us go over five advantages of having your children learn a foreign language at primary school. These advantages are not without basis. These are either supported by recent studies or based on widely-accepted theories from known experts in language study and child development.

1.   Children are more enthusiastic about learning than adults.

At this stage, children are more open and receptive to learning new things and, therefore, can be an advantage in terms of learning a foreign language. [3]Studies have shown that children are more enthusiastic than adults in terms of learning new things.

This enthusiasm gets children to participate in activities and look forward to going to school every day. With the right strategies in place and qualified teachers to facilitate learning, the process can be optimized to leverage children’s enthusiasm to promote a meaningful learning experience.

2.   Children are more receptive at this stage in their development.

Children are becoming better with language and thinking at this stage, between 2 to 7 years old. According to Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist who proposed the Theory of Cognitive Development, the “birth” of language is a distinct characteristic of this stage.

It is best to introduce language to children at this stage since they learn by doing rather than conscious learning. This stage can introduce them to more activities that will enhance the acquisition of a new language. The idea is to expose them to as many views or concepts as much as they can handle, such as words, phrases, or names.

3.   Children are more likely to retain a native-like accent when learning a foreign language at an early age.

Even those who are not convinced of the Critical Period Hypothesis can agree that children who study a foreign language at an early age are more likely to attain native-like accents than adult learners.

The theory claims that children are born with an innate ability to learn languages, which declines with age, so it is essential to leverage this ability before it disappears.

This is consistent with other claims that children are more receptive. What they hear, they will copy. So if they get exposed to a foreign language enough, they are likely going to absorb it.

4.   Learning a language at an early age feeds their curiosity.

The concept of Tabula Rasa states that a person was born with his mind “blank” and that as he grows, he encounters experiences that feed his mind with knowledge. This is how people make sense of the world around them, according to John Locke, a 17th century English Philosopher.

By applying this concept, we can then say that we will design experiences that will allow them to understand other people’s culture or the idea of sensitivity and tolerance. What better way to do this than using a foreign language?

5.   It gives children an academic competitive advantage.

Children who learn a language at an earlier age are said to have stronger multitasking skills, creativity, and working memory. Since bilingual students have enough exposure to more than one language, they can discover word structures relatively quickly than monolinguals. As a result, they develop better reading skills than their monolingual counterparts.

6.   It enhances children’s socio-emotional development.

[4]Socio-emotional development pertains to the changes in how children process emotions in social and communicative settings (Huitt, W. 2008). It is said that bilingual children are better at communication and creating bridges to interact with other children.

7.   It enhances children’s socio-cognitive development.

[5]Having your children learn a language at primary school will develop how they think about social and communicative issues. It means they can have better mental flexibility, problem-solving abilities (only by thinking), examining grammatical structures of sentences,  and become more reasonable. It can help them solve problems more efficiently.

Disadvantages

There are also disadvantages to having your children learn a foreign language at primary school. Now just like the advantages, we will look at these disadvantages as objectively as we can.

1.   Confusion

Having your children learn a foreign language at primary school may lead to confusion in acquiring a native language. Remember that your children are still learning or in the process of establishing their native-tongue at this point in their life.

Having them take another demanding task such as learning a new language, not to mention other school functions, can lead to cognitive overload. This is when children will be unable to process the information as too much can become overwhelming.

[6]Another example where confusion happens in learning a foreign language at an early age is when children mix up words, unable to recognize which one is for which language. Or if they don’t know the right word to use in language A, they will compensate by using borrowed words from language B. This can have severe consequences in communication.

This usually happens during the early stages of learning and is not permanent. However, intervention from both parents and the school is necessary to resolve this issue and prevent it from resulting in more serious outcomes.

2.   It can delay language development.

Now, this is somehow related to the first disadvantage mentioned. Your children might end up having delayed language development if the confusion is left unchecked. What’s worse is it will affect their competencies related to the foreign language and their mother tongue.

Have you ever heard of the saying, “jack of all trades, master of none”? This will happen to your children if issues of learning a foreign language at an early age are not addressed. This will be a terrible fate, especially that we expect our children to master at least their native language.

3.   Schools may find it hard to sustain your children’s enthusiasm.

We know that children are always eager to learn new things, including a foreign language. One of the possible problems with having them learn a language at an early age is that schools may not sustain their eagerness to learn. This can be because the school doesn’t have a well-structured curriculum for teaching a foreign language, the lack of qualified teachers to facilitate the learning or the lack of facilities to have a more immersive approach.

If not sustained, the progress of children will be wasted. Remember that children this age cannot take care of their own learning yet. Someone has to guide them until they can already learn with some level of autonomy, which is usually during their adolescent years.

This is why qualified teachers are important for children who are learning a foreign language. Qualified teachers know the ins and outs of the language. Their experience can be precious in ensuring that children are guided every step of the way during their linguistic development stages.

4.   The lack of a well-structured curriculum.

The curriculum also plays an important role in having a meaningful learning experience for children learning a foreign language. Immersion should be given enough focus so children will have the ability to apply whatever they learn, either in learning in another subject or completing an activity inside or outside the classroom.

Curricula that are merely focused on classroom instructions can be counterproductive and will only make it all the harder for children to learn a foreign language.

5.   Unsuccessful integration into society

Here is another problem with having your children learn a foreign language at primary school – integration. Learning a foreign language, in this case, isn’t the problem itself, but it’s the inability for children to learn the language outside of the classroom.

Language is best learned in a context such as communicating with other people who speak the language, using the language at home, or doing real-life activities such as playing with their classmates. Just learning the language inside the classroom is not enough to attain native-level competencies. Limiting the context of learning a foreign language inside the classroom will not allow children to have a deeper understanding of the language itself.

What Can I Do to Help My Children Learn Better at Primary School?

At this point, you can already tell that the advantages of having your children learn a foreign language at primary school outweigh the disadvantages, or so you think. Make no mistake; the disadvantages are not just any disadvantages. They are like requirements to ensure that your children get a meaningful experience in learning a foreign language.

So what can you do as parents to help your children during this crucial stage of their development?

1.   Please encourage your children to use the foreign language at home, together with their native language.

This is extremely important because communities play an important role in children’s linguistic development. As parents, you should find ways to support your children in their journey to learn a new language. And what better way to support them than speaking to them in that same language, so they can apply what they learn in school?

However, you should also be careful not to emphasize foreign language alone. Remember, the goal is for them to learn both their native and foreign language.

2.   Find a better language school for them.

It is doubtful that we can influence the educational policies that are in place now. Still, you can always look for a better learning institution for your children, where they can learn a foreign language through meaningful experiences. Of course, this will obviously cost you more. However, if your children learn efficiently and effectively, this will certainly be a good investment.

3.   Get them the resources they need.

There are a lot of resources that children can use to help them learn a foreign language better. Most of these resources may not be available to them at school, so you will have to invest in them instead.

Online courses intended for children learning a second language or learning apps are some examples of these resources. Some of them are free, while some may require a premium subscription.

4.   Invest in a reliable language tutor.

This is technically just another type of resource to help your children learn a foreign language. Regardless, we want to make sure that it is given the attention it so deserves.

If you don’t have the time to teach your children at home, or you don’t know anything about the language, getting a private tutor might do the trick.

Remember that one of the problems in having your children learn a foreign language at primary school is the lack of follow-up and the learning process’s continuity. They learn something in the classroom, but they don’t get to apply it outside. Getting a tutor will help address this problem.

Tutors can help your children with their homework or with questions otherwise not addressed in the classroom. At the same time, they can engage your children in a conversation using the language. This way, your children can further enhance their linguistic competencies by applying them in the real world.

5.   Just Wait

Just let your children be if you can’t find a better learning institution or get them the resources they need. Learning new languages for children is fun. However, if they don’t get the support they need, the experience can cause demotivation.

So here at NearlyFluent, we suggest that you let them be children. For now, let them focus on learning their native-tongue and their already exhausting activities at school. When they’re ready to take care of their own learning, then you can have them take a language class.

This should be way better than sacrificing your children’s childhood with a quest that’s bound to fail from the beginning.

Conclusion

Children who learn a foreign language at an early age have many advantages over their monolingual counterparts. Learning a foreign language allows children to enhance their academic, professional, and interpersonal aspects, among others.

However, while there are clear advantages in having them learn a foreign language at primary school, there are also disadvantages. These advantages can be remedied or controlled so they won’t affect your children’s linguistic development and their overall learning experience.

Related Article

How long does it take to get rid of an accent?

Generally, 2 – 4 weeks is how long it would take to get rid of an accent. Your accent reduction should be very comprehensive with such a rather short span of time to see considerable changes. This goes without saying that many factors can also affect the time it takes to get rid of your accent – age, environment, how strong your accent is from that of the ideal accent you are trying to achieve. Your motivation to realize such a feat of learning a language. So even four weeks of rigid accent reduction training will certainly not get you a native-level accent.

[1] Ibrahim Kh. Al-Rifou 2015, Ability to Acquire a Native-like Accent and the Age Factor, British Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, accessed January 1, 2021, <http://www.ajournal.co.uk/HSpdfs/HSvolume13(1)/HSVol.13%20(1)%20Article%206.pdf>

[2] Florence Myles 2017, Learning foreign languages in primary schools: is younger better?, Meits.Org, accessed January 1, 2021, <http://www.meits.org/policy-papers/paper/learning-foreign-languages-in-primary-schools-is-younger-better>

[3] Ibrahim Kh. Al-Rifou, Ability to Acquire, 1

[4] Cordova, Gonzales, and Martinez Sept. 2010 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES THAT KIDS HAVE AT THE TIME THEY ARE LEARNING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE TO BECOME BILINGUAL UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR, accessed January 1, 2021, <http://ri.ues.edu.sv/id/eprint/590/1/10136247.pdf>

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid., 3